Weekend Escape: 'Lang' road to freedom

At last, Paul Ash makes a dreamt-of trip to polish his kayaking skills

Langebaan has always been at the back of my mind. I knew where it was, I heard it had a sort of pretty lagoon and - for a one-time dinghy sailor and aspiring sea-kayaker - I knew it as one of those places I had to tick off.

But, somehow, the years flew by and Langebaan remained unticked.

Now that I've given up dinghies for sea-kayaks, I felt some proper training was in order. That quest led my girl and me up the beach one recent evening to Baby Blue, a cottage owned by the Kellett family on the beach at Langebaan.

It had been one of those West Coast winter days when the world was balanced in a perfect state - no rain or gloomy darkness from the northwest, no howling southeaster churning up the lagoon and blowing the birds away. Instead, a winter sun warmed us as we paddled our kayaks over a placid lagoon.

Andrew and Marie-Louise Kellett, owners of Gravity Adventures, have, to put it mildly, an enviable set-up. When not guiding whitewater trips on the Orange or Palmiet rivers, they can be found at Indigo Blue, their for-rent beach-front home in Langebaan, from where they run kayak trips on the lagoon and where Andrew teaches people how to sea-kayak.

Now, there may be plenty of nasty things you could say about Langebaan, especially if you wanted to talk about the perversity of South African holiday-home design, but this is all forgotten at the Kelletts' spot, which crouches unassumingly on the beach with its back to the blight of the "new" town.

There is a beach curving away on each side, fronted by a row of old-style holiday cottages, a reminder of a nicer world when people built houses to blend into nature, not conquer it.

There is a sailing club with a Gatsby-esque dock with green and red navigation lights at the end of it, and sailing boats at anchor, shouting seagulls and a handful of dogs and kids splashing in the bay.

In a place like this, learning the correct and proper manner to handle a sea-kayak is more delight, less work. We paddled off during the day, across to the castle-shaped rock on the far side or to Schaapen Island, where the early settlers kept their sheep safe from stock thieves and other predators - and where a handful of settlers' absconded rabbits have adapted to survive on seaweed in the dry, hot summers.

In the evening, we sat on the cottage deck, easing muscle pains with liberal applications of shiraz and watched the lagoon reflect the changing light, like a painter trying one canvas and then, in a fit of happy madness, throwing a bucket of paint all over it and trying again.

IF YOU GO

WHERE IT IS: Right on the beach in the old part of Langebaan, with a fabulous view across the lagoon to the nature reserve and the lights of Churchhaven twinkling in the dusk.

WHAT IT HAS: Baby Blue is a completely separate cottage with its own deck and path through the fynbos garden to the beach. It’s open plan with a small loft area with a second bed. The main house, Indigo Blue, sleeps four to eight and is, naturally, more expensive. Both the cottage and the main house have simple, classic West Coast lines and they blend into the landscape. That alone is reason enough to stay here. Then there’s the view. And the lagoon. And the kayaking.

WHY GO THERE:  Langebaan Lagoon is, quite simply, one of this country’s most beautiful places.

THE FOOD: Unless you’re on a package deal (see below), it’s entirely self-catering but there are a few good seafront restaurants on the northern side of Langebaan. The fish-and-chips — and the view — at Lekka By Die See (Hobie Beach, Club Mykonos, 082 899 6377) are both excellent.

RATES: From R1200 per day. Packages including food, accommodation and guided kayak trips start at R1250 for an overnight stay. Kayaks are also for hire if you want to go solo.

CONTACT: 021 683 3698, e-mail adventure@gravity.co.za or see www.gravity.co.za.